


Gentle Hands

by Resmiranda



Series: ME Dentist AU [2]
Category: Mass Effect, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Dentist AU, Dentist!Shepard, Ex-Patient!Kaidan, Fluff, M/M, Unresolved Sexual Tension, cheesy flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-19
Packaged: 2018-12-04 00:42:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11543859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Resmiranda/pseuds/Resmiranda
Summary: Kaidan and Shepard meet up for the biotiball game and a beer, but Kaidan finds himself continuously distracted.Things do not go as planned.





	Gentle Hands

**Author's Note:**

> The continuation only I wanted.
> 
> Un-beta'd, so please tell me if you find errors so I can embarrass myself slightly less.

_“… the Sorcerers made history last year by overcoming the Maestros for the first time in biotiball history. Think they can make it all the way again this year?”_

_“You know, Dania, I’m not sure. They have a great line up, but after Derek Rogers was injured in the last game—”_

The soft chime of the door opening for another customer had Kaidan’s eyes darting away from the screen behind the counter and over to the entrance of Apollo’s Sports Bar. He did his best to shake off the sense of disappointment when an Asari couple walked through the door.

Really, he felt a little ridiculous. In his anxiousness, he had ended up arriving a full forty minutes early of the time he and Shepard had arranged to meet. Despite this, he’d been sending furtive glances towards the door every time it opened, feeling a little stab of disappointment every time it wasn’t Shepard.

He checked the time on his omni-tool again, and sighed. Still twenty minutes out. Kaidan turned his attention back to the pre-game show, only half listening.

_“—they didn’t have the best defensive performance, but—”_

“Hey.”

Kaidan snapped his head away from the screen and up into piercing blue eyes that he hadn’t been able to get out of his head for the last week. He looked behind Shepard, more than a little bewildered that he’d managed to miss the man’s entrance. A sinking sense of shame pooled in his stomach. The title ‘Spectre’ demanded better observation skills than that.

He looked back over at Shepard, instantly distracted by the dark fitted jeans and leather jacket. He looked… good. Really good. Not that he hadn’t looked good in the white coat, but this outfit didn’t hide the muscle he was packing.

He swallowed hard. It was only years of discipline that kept him from giving in to the part of him that wanted to let his gaze linger. He was making a friend, not having a first date.

He stood up to shake the man’s hand.

“Dr. Shepard,” he greeted.

Kaidan retook his seat and Shepard slipped onto the stool next to him.

“John.”

Kaidan faltered a moment. “I’m sorry?”

He smiled, sending Kaidan’s heart into acrobatics. “My first name is John.”

Right. He’d seen that on the business card.

“John.” Kaidan repeated, returning the smile. “Thanks for coming out.”

“I think it should be me thanking you.” His lips quirked at one corner. “I enjoyed chatting with you last week, but it would have been highly unprofessional for me to be the one to suggest we form a relationship outside of doctor and patient. I was glad I wasn’t the only one wanting to know you better.” He laughed lightly and glanced down at where his hands rested on the bar. Kaidan noticed he didn’t were a ring. “Plus, it’s not every day the first human Spectre asks to be your friend.”

Kaidan felt himself go hot under the collar. It sounded so juvenile when put that way, but nothing in Shepard’s demeanor seemed disingenuous. In fact, he seemed a little… diffident.

_Maybe I’m not the only one out of my element._

“What are you drinking?”

“Canadian lager. You?”

“Canada, eh?”

“Haha, very funny.”

Shepard grinned at him and Kaidan’s heart took another tumble.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had anything from Canada before.”

“Well, if you like lighter beer, you have to try it sometime.”

“No time like the present.”

Kaidan barked out a grim laugh, mind flitting through all the close calls he’d had in the last few years. “I’ll drink to that.” He called up the digital menu and ordered two beers.

He looked up to find Shepard’s eyes glued to the screen overhead. The Seattle Sorcerers and Palaven Auras were warming up and the bar was getting crowded.

“You come here often, Shepard? Er… John?” he corrected sheepishly. Then what he said caught up to him. “Wow, that was way less awkward in my head.”

Shepard’s laugh was loud enough that a couple of people nearby turned to look at him. Kaidan felt himself flush, but Shepard’s expression was warm, his eyes dancing. “Flirting already, Spectre? We haven’t even gotten those drinks yet.” Kaidan’s stomach flipped over because while _he_ hadn’t been flirting—intentionally—he was pretty damn certain John _was._

Shepard leaned a little closer to be heard over the noise of the crowd and Kaidan caught a whiff of woodsy cologne he hadn’t noticed last week. His heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest. “I do come here a lot, actually. I have some friends who love competition and a good crowd. You said you hadn’t—”

The rest of whatever Shepard was about to say was drowned out in a swell of cheering. Kaidan looked up to the vid screen to find the game had started, and the Sorcerers had just scored. A moment later their beers arrived. Kaidan offered his up in a toast. Shepard clinked the neck of his bottle against Kaidan’s and they both took long pulls. The shock of cold made the tooth Shepard worked on ache, but he ignored it. If his previous dental work was anything to go by, it would become less easily aggravated in another week or so. The occasional mild ache was nothing close to the constant stabbing pain he’d been in last week.

He savored the aftertaste of his drink. A real burger last week and genuine Canadian lager this week. If his diet continued in this trend, he’d be a very happy man.

“—t’s goo—”

Kaidan lean over to Shepard. “What?”

“I said it’s good,” he yelled over the clamor.

Kaidan smiled. “Glad to hear it,” he called back.

They drank their beers in comfortable silence for a while, finally getting into the game and joining some of the crowd’s reactions. It was clear who the majority favored.

Kaidan finished his beer before the start of the second quarter and took to fiddling with the label and stealing quick glances at Shepard between plays, until he was watching the man next to him more than the game. It took every ounce of his discipline not to jump out of his skin when Shepard happened to look over and catch him staring.

“What?” He leaned closer, apparently thinking Kaidan had said something and was waiting for an answer. Small blessings.

Kaidan groped for something to say.

“I, uh… lively place isn’t it?”

Shepard’s expression turned a bit bashful. He scooted a little closer, until Kaidan felt their knees brushing, and either John didn’t notice or didn’t care because he made no attempt to shift away. “I forgot how loud this place gets during tournaments. Probably wasn’t the best choice of venue. Sorry.”

Kaidan shook his head. “No, no. There’s good beer, good company. No complaints.” He offered Shepard what he thought was a reassuring smile, but Shepard continued to seem preoccupied.

“It’s almost half-time,” he said slowly.

Kaidan waited a beat. When John didn’t continue he prompted, “Yeah…”

“So… would it be too weird if I invited you over to my place to watch the rest of the game? I live just a couple blocks over. It’s quieter and I have plenty of beer. No charge.” He smiled at Kaidan but there was something more hesitant about it than he was used to seeing from the man.

_Is he nervous?_

Kaidan should really say no. Being in private with this man was a very bad idea. The risk of doing or saying something he’d regret was too high. There were too many reasons why he shouldn’t take his invitation.

“Only if you let me settle the tab.”

<*>

“You’ve got quite the setup here, Shepard,” Kaidan commented from where he was situated on Shepard’s couch. After settling the bill they’d made the short walk over to John’s apartment, which was impressive, to say the least. The man was clearly paid well.

Shepard threw him a smile from where he was rooting around in the kitchen. “Hey, I figure if I’m going to live the bachelor lifestyle, I might as well go all out.”

Kaidan’s chest seized a little. He didn’t know how Shepard had gotten away with being single this long, but he wasn’t about to complain. He wondered if he had a girlfriend or a boyfriend. And if he was interested in men.

Kaidan bit down on his tongue to keep himself from voicing either of those questions.

“Ah, shoot.”

“Something wrong?” Kaidan called to Shepard as he closed the door to his refrigerator and walked over to the pantry. He pulled out a six pack.

“Just didn’t remember I hadn’t put this in the fridge yet. I’ll put it in the freezer for a bit,” he told him, doing just that.

Kaidan heard a whistle and looked up at the vid screen, which took up most of the wall.

“Game’s restarting,” he called.

“Can I get you something—Oh, c’mon!” he yelled as a ref failed to call a foul. “Crap like that really irritates me.”

Kaidan couldn’t agree more, but would have worded it differently.

“I think you’re the least crude marine I’ve ever met.”

Shepard looked down at him, surprised, and laughed as he sat down. “Oh, trust me. Put me in the field for an hour and even a drill sergeant would blush at my language. I clean it up for the office since it’s not very professional and I work with kids sometimes, but I got chewed out by my associates more than once when I came off active duty.”

Kaidan chuckled. “Hard time turning it off once you turn it on, huh?” And, wow, Kaidan really needed to think more about what he was going to say before he said it.

Fortunately, if Shepard had turned that into the dirty thing Kaidan’s mind had, he kept it to himself. “Exactly.” He glanced at the screen again, then back to Kaidan. “I was about to ask if you wanted anything else. I don’t have much in terms of food, except for pretzels and chips, but I have plenty of other things to drink.”

A laugh rumbled in Kaidan’s chest. “Sounds like my place. All I have right now is bacon and chips. I’m good for now, though; thanks.”

Shepard moaned a little, and it made Kaidan’s skin tingle. “I haven’t had bacon in forever.”

A whistle sounding grabbed their attention, and Kaidan was alarmed to find that he had missed at least three baskets, and the Auras were now up by eight points.

He tried to keep his focus on the game, he really did; but Kaidan kept finding his eyes sliding over to the man sitting next to him. He’d taken off his jacket since coming inside, and he could now see every curve of muscle pressed against the form-fitting black t-shirt he wore. He did his best to relax and hide how hyper-aware he was of Shepard’s presence.

At the start of the third quarter, Shepard got up and came back with two open beers. He handed one to Kaidan.

“It’s not Earth beer, but a pretty good Asari IPA knock-off. I guess I should have asked if you liked IPA’s first.”

“Asari, huh?” Kaidan smiled and took the proffered bottle, perfectly chilled. “Depends on the IPA.” He examined the label, sniffing at it before taking a careful swig.

It was surprisingly… fruity. Amused, but not put off, he took another sip. “Not bad. Not what I expected, but not bad.” One corner of his mouth pulled up. “You like your beer a little on the fruity side, eh?”

John rubbed at the back of his head. “Sometimes,” he admitted. “Is it too sweet? I thought this one was pretty mild, but I think I have a different case around here somewhere.”

Kaidan’s heart fluttered at John’s concern. He ignored the thought that he could definitely fall for this man.

“No, this is good.”

They resettled, nursing their beers. The coldness of the drink was starting to make his tooth ache again, but it was an easy pain to ignore. Much easier than a bullet wound or shrapnel.

The Sorcerer’s had reclaimed the lead. The announcers said something about them being in trouble if they were struggling to stay ahead this early in the tournament. Kaidan continued to pay more attention to John than the game, so it startled him when John began clapping.

“Alright! That was a close one.” Kaidan looked at the screen. Final score: Sorcerers 87, Auras 84.

“Yeah,” he agreed quickly. He picked up his beer and took several long gulps to drain it—which was a bad idea because the cold liquid filled his mouth and hit his regenerated tooth just right, sending a lancing ache through his head. He grimaced, but shook the pain off quickly. Not fast enough to keep Shepard from noticing, though.

“You okay there, Kaidan?”

“Hm?” Kaidan responded before he realized pretending he was fine probably wouldn’t go very far with John. “Oh, yeah. Tooth you worked on is just a little sensitive, still.”

Shepard hummed contemplatively. “Some sensitivity for the first couple of weeks is normal, but do you want me to take a look at it?”

Now, _now_ , was certainly the time to say no. Kaidan knew this was normal. He’d experienced this kind of hot/cold sensitivity after a regeneration at least a dozen times by now. It had been hard enough controlling himself while he was in the chair, more or less in public. Doing this, in the man’s _home_ , for crying out loud, was a very, _very_ bad idea.

Still, the temptation to have those hands touching his face again…

“Do you mind?”

That brief smile—that was quickly becoming Kaidan’s favorite thing—flickered over Shepard’s face again. “Not at all. Wouldn’t have offered if I did.” He rested his hand on Kaidan’s knee for just a moment. “Let me go grab some things and I’ll be right back.”

Kaidan found himself picking at the seams of his jeans and balled his hands into fists in an effort to stop fidgeting. He stared at the vid screen, but if someone asked him what they just showed, he wouldn’t be able to tell them. He hadn’t felt this nervous over something in ages.

 _Breathe_ , he reminded himself. Shepard was a professional. There should be no difference between this and what he did last week.

Except there _was_ a difference, and no matter how much he tried to rationalize it, he just couldn’t quite believe himself.

Shepard emerged from the hallway and Kaidan’s stomach lurched. He focused on keeping his breathing even.

The sound of a zipper grabbed Kaidan’s attention and he watched as Shepard opened a small kit of dental instruments.

He caught Kaidan’s eye and smiled at him. “Don’t worry, I keep all my tools sterilized.” If that was only the biggest of his worries. Shepard ripped open a packet of sterile gloves. Kaidan watched his hands, remembering what they felt like. His heartrate picked up, knowing he would get to feel that again.

“—mask?”

“Uh, what?” Kaidan was so distracted by watching Shepard slip on the gloves, he had no clue what he had just asked him.

 _Get a grip, man_.

“I asked if you want me to grab a face mask? I shouldn’t be doing anything that really warrants one, but I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”

“Ah face mask, right. I-I mean, no. You’re fine.” The joke was that Shepard probably couldn’t make Kaidan feel more uncomfortable if he tried. The tips of Kaidan’s ears were flaming and he deeply wished he could bury his face in his hands and never speak again. Instead he offered a shy smile to Shepard’s amused expression and shifted in his seat.

“Do you need me to lay back or something?”

_Shit. This could be the opening to a bad porno._

“No. Right where you are is fine.” Kaidan couldn’t quite suppress the small hitch in his breath when Shepard lightly nudged his chin, catching his jaw in that gentle hold that had been haunting his dreams. He could feel the warmth of his fingers through the gloves. The scent of his cologne was stronger, intoxicating.

And he couldn’t, for the life of him remember one regulation the Alliance had.

“Tip your head back a little…” Kaidan followed the guidance of his hand and the soothing rumble of his voice. “And open.” Kaidan obeyed, his breath coming in more shallowly than a moment before, and feeling self-conscious that his breath had to smell like beer. He dug what little nail growth he had into his palms to ground himself.

“Good,” Shepard murmured. The heat in his ears raced down his neck and further south. He shifted, just a little, needing an outlet for his nervous energy but not wanting to draw too much attention. After a few seconds of slanting Kaidan’s head at different angles, he tilted his chin down and blue eyes locked on Kaidan, boring into him.

 “Let me know if any of this bothers you, okay?” His grip became a little firmer, but still gentle—always gentle—and if Kaidan didn’t find something to distract his brain with soon, he was going to do something incredibly stupid. “I mean it.”

The corners of Kaidan’s lips twitched upwards weakly. “I will.”

“Okay.” Shepard angled his head back again and Kaidan opened his mouth without instruction. Shepard slipped his fingers into Kaidan’s mouth and began to apply slight pressure on his tooth. Kaidan wanted to whimper. And not because it hurt.

In sheer desperation, he tried to remember the sound of a Reaper’s horn. It didn’t help slow down his heart, but it detracted him from thinking about doing something _very_ inappropriate with his tongue and those probing fingers.

“Any pain or tenderness?” He asked, pressing at different sides of the tooth.

“Uh-uh.”

“Okay.”

Relief warred with disappointment as John released his gentle hold and reached for one of the picks and the small angled mirror. Kaidan kept his mouth open as Shepard maneuvered the mirror around his tooth and began lightly tapping at various spots. Nothing hurt.

“Any of that?” He removed the tools and thumbed at a spot of drool at the corner of Kaidan’s mouth, making his brain go completely offline for several moments.

John looked like he was about to prompt him again, so he rushed to reply. “No. All good.”

“Good. The bone growth is sound as far as I can tell, and temperature sensitivity is a pretty common side effect for the first couple of weeks following the procedure. If it doesn’t calm down soon you should come back in. I got you assigned to Dr. Lawson. She’s a little prickly, but by far the best at what she does.”

Kaidan’s eyes lingered over John’s hands as he peeled off his gloves and tossed them onto the table next to his kit. Eventually they wandered back up to his face, to those kind blue eyes. Just like that moment in the office last week, Shepard didn’t look away.

“I find that hard to believe.”

A slow smile stretched over John’s face. “I thought I told you flattery would get you nowhere, Spectre Alenko,” he retorted.

“Not aiming to flatter you, Dr. Shepard. Just stating my truth.”

Shepard’s lips parted, but for once he seemed at a loss for a comeback. Kaidan’s eyes couldn’t help but follow the motion. The urge to act overwhelmed him. He rocketed to his feet, startling them both.

“This—This has been great, John.”

John seemed a little whiplashed, but didn’t question the sudden mood-shift, thankfully.

“Agreed. Do you need to go?”

Kaidan called up his omni-tool and looked at the time. It was only after he dismissed it that he realized he hadn’t actually read the numbers.

“Yeah, busy day tomorrow.” He couldn’t remember what he was doing tomorrow, but it would be easy to make his statement true. His work never seemed to be done. If it wasn’t helping with the rebuild or a mission, it was paperwork.

Shepard nodded once, and rose to his feet. He rubbed at the back of his head. “We ended up missing quite a bit of the game, didn’t we?” He laughed without humor, cheeks tinged with pink. Kaidan was pretty sure it wasn’t from the beer. “Hope you aren’t disappointed.” He shoved both hands in his jean pockets and rocked back on his heels.

A spark of hope ignited in Kaidan’s chest, and no matter how hard he tried to snuff it with reminders that this was about becoming _friends_ , it refused to die.

“Not at all. We should do it again sometime.”

Shepard settled flat on his feet and smiled at him. Kaidan felt everything that was starting to cool down heat up again.

“I’d like that.”

“Great.” An awkward moment of dead air hung between them. Kaidan started shifting towards the door. “I, uh, guess just message me sometime.” John walked him over to the door, palming the interface for him. “And thanks for checking me out.” Kaidan suppressed a flinch. If he’d been holding a gun, he would have just gone ahead and shot himself in the foot.

John eyes swept over Kaidan once, raising every hair on his body. “Any time.”

 _Oh_.

The timbre of Shepard’s voice raked down his spine; heat radiated off Kaidan’s ears and neck. He would definitely be revisiting that later.

The moment was over in an instant, the intense aura that seemed to emanate from John vanishing.

Kaidan suddenly had no problem seeing this man as a Vanguard.

“Did you drive? I can walk you back to your car or hail you transport, if you need it.” He chuckled a little ruefully. “I know you said you have to go, but I kind of feel like I’m kicking you out.”

“No, I’m fine. But thank you. I appreciate it. I…” He hesitated, giving proper thought to what he was about to say for once. “I had a good time.”

“Me, too. Stay safe, Kaidan.”

Kaidan grinned, decidedly liking it when Shepard said his name like that.

“See you, John,” he said, backing out of the door, indulging in one last glance at those clear blue eyes.

_Soon, I hope._

Kaidan had just made it to the end of the block when his omni-tool pinged with a message.

**Bacon next time?**

Kaidan laughed, chest light, and the spark became a flame.


End file.
